A family-run business with global ambitions, the Swiss brand has presented a wide selection of new watches and jewels at Baselworld. A good move at the right time.

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We have been creating jewellery watches for decades now,”
says Ludovic Lesur, General Manager of the brand Charriol,
based in Geneva. “So it was time to launch jewels that are
watches at the same time; we achieve this through the Forever, which
bridges our two worlds: jewellery and watchmaking, at the best possible
price – a criterion more important than ever!”

Presented at the latest edition of Baselworld, this new Forever timepiece
comes with a chic bangle strap with slim twisted cables, in line
with the coloured theme found in the jewellery and handbag collections
of the same name. Available in stainless steel, yellow gold or
rose gold, and worked in a 32 mm size, it also features the Easterninspired
diamond-patterned lattice motif which is a strong theme in
the Forever jewellery lines. The price point is indeed very interesting
for such a watch: from 890 to 990 CHF.

The original Forever jewellery collection, with its Thin, Colors and Cuff
variants, has also been revisited. In the first line of products, the steelcable is wound neatly between two rims, rather like the thread on
a couturier’s bobbin. The slender modern bangles can be worn as a
cluster – a trend Charriol has found a name for: “Banglemania,”
which is particularly strong in Europe and America. After all, why
wear only one bangle if you have more options to embellish your
forearm?

An extension of the Forever “Colors” collection sees the bangles
worked in bright new colours, overlaid with striking criss-cross steel
set with white topaz. Another strong proposition in terms of design is
of course the oversized Forever cuff with the Charriol house insignia,
which has a vintage, collectible appeal.

THE ICON ON THE MOON

Creative Director Coralie Charriol-Paul has been quite active lately,
as the brand also launched at Baselworld the new Fabulous jewellery
collection, conceived by mixing up Charriol’s hallmark twisted cable
motif with a scattering of precious stones. The ensemble harks back
to the brand’s Celtic heritage, yet remains forward-looking thanks to
pretty, feminine accents, for prices which span from 120 to 610 CHF.

2016 also includes a very special feminine addition to the brand’s
iconic St-Tropez line of timepieces: a dazzling jewellery watch called
GlamMoon. The 35 mm timepiece is intended to be the “ultimate
dress watch,” displaying a generous cascade of tinted gems – totalizing
1.58 cts. The bezel encircles a shimmering white mother-of-pearl
display, set with 12 luxurious white diamond indexes. Another
surprise unveiled at Baselworld, the Twist watch inspires a new, more
feminine way of wearing a watch: the signature twisted steel cables
are now woven into this serpentine timepiece, embellished with yellow
gold PVD end-pieces and dainty clips bearing the ‘C’ insignia.

FAMILY BUSINESS

Established in 1983 by Philippe Charriol, the brand is still led by its
founder, together with family members – wife Marie-Olga Charriol in
Public Relations, daughter Coralie Charriol-Paul as Creative Director
and son Alexandre Charriol as Visual Director. It has a large presence
in the Middle East and Asia and aims to expand into the USA, Central
America and the European markets. The brand has a total of 345 standalone
boutiques (including 285 stores in China) and 3,800 sales
outlets around the world. While the jewellery is crafted in Switzerland
and Germany, the timepieces are handmade in Switzerland

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